
FT MEADE 

GenCol 1 


The Animals in the Ark 

From the French of 

P. Guizou 

by 

Edgar Mills 


Pictures in Colour by AVi mar 






r i 

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They all arrived at exactly the same moment 


The ANIMALS in the ARK 


From the French of P. Guizou by 
EDGAR MILLS 


Pictures by A. VIMAR 



New York: DUFFIELD & COMPANY 




To 

Bratty, Ratty and Blobs 


3^S 


COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY DUPFIELD & COMPANY. PUBLISHED, OCTOBER, 1909 









“Then it rained forty days, without ever once stop- 
ping?” 

“Yes, forty days and forty nights.” 

The children sat silent a moment, deep in thought. 

“Forty days ! What a long time,” finally said Bob. 

“Oh, how scary,” whispered plump little Florence. 

“But,” broke in Carolyn, “what did the poor beasties 
do all those forty days? Did they ‘just sit,’ or did they 
play games, as we do on wet days?” 


At this rather original question, I looked up from 
the page of my own book, and began to watch the group 
playing near the fire. The little heads crowded around 
their adored uncle, forgetful of the superb Noah’s Ark on 
the table, where lay in wooden, yet graceful attitudes, 
bulls, giraffes, camels, lions, shepherdesses and frizzy 
trees. How fine and warm it was ! Oho, the wind might 
roar a storm outside ! Here, thought I, we had nothing to 
fear. It was late Autumn, and, at intervals, the wind 


— 3 — 


carried to us a plaintive sound of withering leaves fall- 
ing from their naked branches. Suddenly a terrific gust 
almost uprooted the trees. 

“How it blows,” exclaimed Bob. “I shouldn’t like to 
be out doors to-night.” 

At these words the children shivered. Bob sat with 
eyes staring wide. I guessed that he saw the cloak- 
wrapped traveller struggling against the wind, fighting 
his way over bleak roads and through terrifying forests. 
The little fellow, always sensitive and impressionable, 
seemed on the verge of tears. 

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” I laughed. “I’ll warrant 
you that, on a night like this, you’ll find your traveller 
safely housed at some comfortable inn, warming himself 
before the roaring fire, and enjoying his soup while he 
waits for them to roast his chicken.” 

This simple phrase seemed to reassure little Bob, and 
to turn his thoughts into other channels. With his bound- 
less imagination he at once pictured a vast kitchen, dark, 
yet gilded by the fitful light of the fire; piles of plates 
on the table; the great copper pots lighting up the 
shadows of the huge room; branches of laurel and holly 
festooning its walls, and bulging hams hanging from 


the blackened rafters; while the sly tabby cat (looking 
as innocent as St. Nitouche herself), and the old dogs, 
blinking at the heat of the fire, mounted guard over the 
turning spit. 

Dream on, little man, and may the magic of words 
long preserve the power to call up visions for you ! The 
day arrives soon enough when we can no longer think of 
things but as they really are, or at least as they seem to 
us to be. Would that we might always see with the clear 
vision of childhood the pictures which we so often paint 
for our children in our little nursery stories. And of all 
these I have had it forced upon me that none attracts chil- 
dren more, none holds them firmer in its grasp, none more 
frightens or enchants them than the wonderful Story of 
the Flood. For them, the Ark floating on the waters of 
the deep has more interest than the magic castle of the 
“Sleeping Beauty,” or all the palaces of the fairies. The 
story of that blessed old craft combines the allurement of 
Adventure with the charm of Romance, the fascination 
of the Church with the wonders of the Zoo. I sat think- 
ing over these things while the children coaxed and 
wheedled their old friend to tell them about the real 
Noah’s Ark, and all about the Flood. 



y , 

Noah directed all the work 




























































































































1 





You must know, my dears, that in those days men 
were very, very wicked, knowing no law but their own 
wishes; they laughed at the idea of the Lord’s getting 
angry. The terrible punishment which some day must 
fall upon such people, and crush them out of existence, 
their wise old men had already predicted. Stupid old 
fogies; nobody believed a word they said, pooh-poohing 
their prophesies as some old women s tales. In a word, 
all the world had become so hardened in its wickedness, 
that the good Lord finally said: “No longer shall this 
endure.” 

However, hidden away in the great wicked crowd was 



THE ANIMALS IN 
THE ARK 


a dear old man ; he, at least, and his whole family, lived 
in the love of justice and the dutiful fear of God. His 
name was Noah; he was the son of Lameth. 

Now one night in his sleep he dreamed that the awful 
fate of the nations was upon them. He felt commanded 
to begin at once to construct a great house of wood, large 
enough to contain seven couples of every “clean” ani- 
mal, and two couples of every “unclean” animal, and so 
built that it would float on the water. Now you know 
that the “clean” animals were those the Lord allowed 
His people to eat, and the “unclean” those he forbade 
them to eat. He began the very next day, going 


5 — 


about to see all the best places 
to build in. He chose a great 
field at the foot of a mountain 
which was covered with an old 
and vast forest. Then Noah, 
aided by his three sons, got to- 
gether all his labourers and began 
the work. Some of them ran up 
the neighbouring mountain to select the right trees, and 
when they had cut them down, they chopped off all their 
branches. Down came the whole forest before the axes 
of the woodmen. Others drove heavy waggons drawn by 
four, five and sometimes six pairs of oxen, carrying down 
huge logs to the field; here carpenters and trained work- 
men cut them up, carefully squared them, rounded them, 
and fitted them in a thousand ways. You might hear 
the gimlets and the planes squeaking and swishing, 
the smith making the anvils ring with the thuds of his 
heavy hammer. Noah directed all the work with a 
watchful eye. 

Little by little, through the tangle of the scaffold, you 
might make out a huge shape, while all the time the idle 
on-lookers cracked silly jokes about the ridiculous 
builders. 

“Why, it’s a boat,” at length cried 
one, and the sound of laughter and 
mockery burst like a squall. To 
build a boat, away up there, far from 
the sea or any river, seemed to them, 
you can well imagine, an undertak- 
ing of some originality. 




“Perhaps,” said one funny fellow, “it’s a boat that 
doesn’t want to get wet.” 

Noah deigned no reply. Day in and day out the work 
went on, from early morning to late at night, until one 
fine day, at the end of one hundred years, the Great Ark 
was finished. 

On the same day — you would hardly believe it — from 
all points of the horizon, North, South, East and West, 
came great caravans of animals two by two, arm in arm, 
— that is, where nature permitted. Some of them seemed 
to have come from the near neighbourhood, quite fresh 
and neat, but the far greater number gave unmistakable 
evidence of having journeyed 
long and wearily. 

Obedient to some mysterious 
instinct, like that which in the 
Autumn starts off the birds in 
their yearly flight through the 
sky, they had started at such an 
hour that, having carefully cal- 
culated their distance, they all 
arrived before the Ark exactly at the same moment. The 
white bears, who to be sure had come all the way from 
the Pole, declared that they felt awfully tired and pant- 
ingly complained of the heat. 

What a sight, that great field all covered over with 
animals! There were little and big, short and long, fat 
and thin, long-legged and short-legged, hairy and 
smooth, scaly and feathery, four-footed, two-footed, 
without any feet at all ; white, black, yellow, red, spotted, 
striped, speckled, mottled, walking, jumping, creeping, 




flying, long-maned lions, tousled buffaloes, bald elephants, 
long-necked giraffes, wide-antlered stags, crested cocks, 
tapirs, donkeys, wild asses ! You never saw such a surg- 
ing mass of beaks, muzzles, snouts, jaws, horny noses, 
with great trunks and wide nostrils. Every one in his 
own language sang at the top of his voice. I assure you 
it was a glorious symphony. 


Oh, but what a concert ! 

How the lion roars ! 

Loud and mighty music 
From his jaws he pours. 

Listen to the tapir 
Sing an anthem clear; 

While the gay hyena 
Deafens every ear. 

— 7 


Then the bull majestic 
Bellows loud and long ; — 
All declare his bass is just 
The organ for such song. 


Whinnies come from jolly deer, 
Elephants trumpet high. 

While the hippopotamus 
Raises his sweet cry. 

Pigeons coo with languor. 

And the good fat hen, 

Rises for a solo, 

Cackling now and then. 



And Tirra ! sings the lark, 

And both the owls : Tu who ! 

Till all the floating ark 

With song rings through and through. 



And cock-a-doodle-doo 
The cock crows to the air, 
While Duck and Mrs. Goose 
Go quacking every where. 


The donkey chorus brays, 
And ba-ba go the sheep ; 
And all the camels join, 
The harmony to keep. 


And so the beasties all, 
The eagle and the crane, 
The cassowary tall, 

Take up the blithe refrain. 


The white bear and the black. 
The screaming parrots, too, 
Sing second with a knack 
Distressingly untrue. 




When they had finished 
this delightful perform- 
ance, the animals, a trifle 
fatigued, sat or lay down 
for a moment to rest. It 
was wonderful to see old 
enemies sitting side by 
side at last reconciled : the 
wolves tenderly caring 
for the little lambs, the 
tigress nursing the 
graceful gazelles, 
and Mr. Fox making 
protestations of disinter- 
ested affection, even deepest love, to Mrs. Hen. In- 
deed, you never saw such a charming family reunion. 
Joy shone on every face and perfect trust lulled every 
fear. 

And, of course, those nervous little rabbits preferred to 
sit down right next to the animals who liked the same 
things to eat that they did. 

At last Noah, accompanied by his wife, his three sons 
and his three daughters-in-law, appeared. In a flash every 
one was on his feet, and the grand march began. Each 
bowed and presented its respects, according, of course, to 
the way he had been brought up, as he passed before Noah 
and his family. The elephants waved their trunks like 
censers, the giraffes bowed their long necks to the earth, 
the camels plumped down on their knees, the fat bears put 
their hands on their hearts, and the majestic peacocks 
spread out their many-eyed tails. 



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The ark floated 






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This ceremony over, they began 
to embark. An enormous and 
curious crowd gathered round to 
watch them, leaving on the out- 
skirts those unfortunate animals 
who had not received the mysteri- 
ous command to go on board. 
You can well imagine how the 
crowd jeered at those passengers. 
But the chosen animals moved on, 
indifferent to their senseless remarks. 

As soon as the greater part of the passengers were on 
board, Mrs. Noah and the wives of her three sons 
mounted the gang-plank. At that moment ( a signal they 
had long been waiting for), all the winged animals took 
flight, and circling above the head of those ladies, formed 
themselves into a vast and radiant halo. The brown 
eagles on their great wings joined the pink flamingoes; 
the parrots, red, blue and green, grouped themselves with 
the white doves, the black crows with the dazzling swans. 
Then all about flew tiny little birds, so many and so thick 
that they reminded you of grains of wheat thrown far 
and wide by the hand of the sower. All the people 
crowded round the Ark, really astonished at this; but, 
as evil thoughts never take long to enter evil minds, some 
one suggested to set the Ark on fire. 

“Oh, what fine roasts they’ll make, all those nice, fat 
animals in the Ark,” said one, with wicked joy. 

No sooner said than done. In a moment some one had 
heaped a great pile of dry leaves and branches against the 
Ark; the flames began to crackle, when suddenly out of 



the clear sky, a terrific clap of thunder roared. Then deep 
silence. 

A nameless terror seized all living things, and even the 
plants and stones. The whole creation in horror awaited 
— what, they knew not. The day began to fade. A veil, 
faint and ashen, settled over the plain. In sudden fear, 
the trees of the forest began to shake and the grass to 
tremble. At the far edge of the sky three dark cloud- 
like forms rose with frightful rapidity. A shadow which 
seemed to hang like a cloak from their shoulders envel- 
oped the earth, while behind these gigantic clouds others, 
and still others, darker and darker, rolled their misshapen 
masses, ceaselessly flashing out streaks of fiery lightning, 
all red and violet. 

Noah cast himself upon his knees, while from the Ark 
came forth piercing screams, mingled with the deeper 
voices of fervent prayer. 

A great tent now covered the sky as of black velvet, 
and in the awful gloom from far over the plain advanced, 
hissing and surging, a white, narrowing circle. Higher 
it grew. What was that murmur ? The sea, the sea ! 

With hideous rapidity it approached, covering all 
the earth ; already its overhanging crest curled with 
foam. 

Noah bowed his head to the earth : “O Lord,” he cried, 
“Thy will be done.” 

The great ship felt a sudden shock and reared like a 
frightened horse; then settled back slowly and quietly. 

The danger had passed ; the Ark floated. 

It was not long before the animals began most unpleas- 
antly to realize that they were actually at sea. Master 


Hippopotamus, his beautiful eyes brimming with tears, 
wailed piteously for his dear Mamma. One poor lion 
leaned on the rail in an attitude always dignified yet a 
trifle constrained, and a certain fashionable young tigress 
appeared highly vexed at having been caught in a display 
of such doubtful manners. 

The rain fell in torrents, so heavy that even the pilot 
had to abandon the bridge. Before long, however, the 
Ark began to stop rolling, and the animals, somewhat re- 
lieved, now for the first time had a chance to look about 
them. With great curiosity they began to examine the 
place in which such extraordinary recent events had 
brought them together. By a staircase, with easy steps, 
they mounted storey after storey until they came to the 
“Grand Saloon,” a room much longer than it was wide, 
with a great cross-beamed ceiling, enormously high. Big 
lighted lamps swung back and forth, for in this part of 
the Ark, which was below, the surface of the water, there 
was not a single window in all the walls. At the two 
ends of the room, which, it appeared, was intended for 
a general meeting place for the animals, large doors led 
through corridors to other apartments — common bunks 
for the steerage, state rooms for the animals of distinc- 
tion, stewards’ berths, and even an infirmary. 

The animals in excited and curious groups wandered 
about at will. For some time no one had laid eyes upon 
the hippopotamus. As yet hardly recovered from his un- 
pleasant sea-sickness, he had started out by missing his 
footing on the top step of the stairs and had tumbled clean 
to the bottom. But then, you know, he never did take any 
but the tiniest kind of steps, as if he were walking on egg 


shells, rolling from side to side his great poppy eyes, 
round as saucers — one of his peculiar tricks that made 
every one whisper: “Thank Heaven, there aren’t many 
others like him” 

Each animal let you see, by the way he behaved, his 
real character : the elephant amiable and without 
airs, the bears jovial but rather heavy, the 
giraffe just a trifle high and mighty, but 
really of very small intellect. There 
were so many shapes, and such differ- 
ent colours, that you might have 
fancied yourself at a masquerade 
ball; and indeed the hump of 
the camel struck you as a 
pretty good disguise, and 
the elephant’s trunk really 
awfully clever and well 
thought out. At bot- 
tom, every one con- 
sidered his neigh- 
bour too ridicu- 
lous for words, 

— b ut con- 
cealed his 
own feelings 
with all the 
exagger- 
ated polite- 
ness of the 
usual globe 
trotter. 



“You live quite a distance from here, Mr. Polar-Bear, 
do you not,” said a giddy young antelope, making con- 
versation. 

“I come,” replied the other, crustily, “from a country, 
much more agreeable than this.” 


“Indeed,” said the antelope, interested. 

“Yes, the air is always deliciously cool, and we alzvays 
have snow. It’s perfectly charming; we take our daily 
outing on an ice floe, where at least we can always get a 
breath of air.” 

The elephant here jauntily, and with a sly wink, inter- 
posed : 

“But, my dear Sir, might I venture to enquire why, if 
you find it so unusually warm, you don’t check your furs 
in the cloak-room?” 

The bear, who received this sally with very poor grace, 
replied in a tone positively glacial : 

“And you, my dear Sir, why don’t you run along and 
check your trunk?” 


In fact everyone pretended to admire everyone else, but 
really was interested only in himself. The lion declared in 
an aside that bald heads gave him the horrors, and the 
crocodile sneered at the ostrich’s feathers as being too 

ridiculously old-fashioned. 
The animals with beauti- 
ful and expensive clothes 
quite shocked those who 
bought them ready made. 
Mrs. Elephant went into 
ecstasies over Mrs. Zebra’s 
gown, but confessed to 
her own circle that she 
really thought stripes 
hideously unbecoming, 
and in atrocious taste. 
The other, to whose ears 
this pleasant remark soon came, answered back that any 
way it was prettier than common gunny-sacking. 

Mr. Pig all this time took surprisingly little interest in 
these bickerings over the details of the toilet. A much 
more important question occupied his thoughts. 

“Do you know,” said he, “I’m awfully hungry. It’s 
most extraordinary how these great wonders of nature 
take it out of one. I really, must have something to eat. 
I don’t care a bit what it is, just as long as there’s 
enough of it.” 

“But, man alive,” said the camel, “don’t you know that 
already they’ve put us on short rations ?” 

“You don’t say so,” replied the pig, really alarmed. 

“But why all this silly fuss?” remarked the giraffe. 




— 11 — 



“Fuss” ! snapped the pig, “well, as for me, I shouldn’t 
care to have my head quite so far from my tummy as 
yours is.” 

And he waddled away to find something to eat. 

It was getting late, and everybody was by this time 
pretty well tired out. Mothers thought it was high time 
the children got to bed, but where ? Already all the good 
corners were full of little animals stretched out and fast 


asleep. The hungry pig was nosing about, finding not 
so much as a single carrot. 

“Well,” said he, “let’s try to get some sleep. Who 
sleeps, dines.” 

But just as he was nicely settled and beginning to dose 
off he caught the following: 

“I,” announced the camel, with complacency, “have 
often gone fifteen days without so much as eating or 
drinking a single mouthful.” 

The next day it was at once evident that some sort of 
order or organization was necessary, and before any- 
thing else, some form of government. His Royal High- 
ness, The Lion, as was natural, assumed control; the 
tiger, the jaguar, the panther and his other relations 
formed his court. As a wise precaution, they at once 
decided not to let any one else have a word to say in the 
management of affairs. The first business was the dis- 
tribution of the different offices. 

The hippopotamus, who fancied he knew more about 
management than any one else, was humiliated almost to 
tears by being simply nominated Table Steward — Vege- 
tarian Department. So, too, the tapir, who had dreamed 
of a fat job, got only that of Inspector of the Steerage. 
He swallowed his disappointment as best he could, but so 
much was his health affected that he was advised seri- 
ously to try a simplified diet, and a regime of baths. 

The remaining positions were finally distributed to 
general satisfaction : the bear they made Coal-and-Wood 
Man; the ox, Water Carrier; the elephant, Chief of 
Police; the giraffe, Chief Inspector of Chandeliers; and 
a great number of quick little monkeys, Stewards and 



They began to embark 







Stewardesses. But it seemed almost impossible to find 
just the right individual for purser. The pig moved 



heaven and earth to get the nomination, thinking him- 
self particularly fitted for it. 

“It’s for the general good that I should be appointed,” 
he cried. 




Some one nominated the camel. The eyes of Mr. Pig 
flared with anger. 

“That’s a put up job,” he grunted with rage, rising to 
object. “The camel will never do in the world. Does 
he think just because he can go 
fifteen days without eating that 
he will not succumb to the 
temptations of the kitchen ? 

Don’t be deceived by these 
long-winded visionaries. Fif- 
teen days without eating in- 
deed ! Why, he would forget 
all about us.” 

Long was the discussion, 
but it was at last decided that, 
steadiness and sobriety being 
the first and most important virtues of a purser, the camel 
should be elected by acclamation. 

Discomfited, poor piggy retired to the kitchen to clean 

the pots and pans 
(which they said he did 
exceedingly w e 1 1 j , 
always, however, com- 
plaining bitterly of the 
gross indignity put 
upon him. 

The distribution of 
positions over, each 
went about his own 
business. Everything 
ran like clock-work. 




<$) a© 


The vegetarians had their table, too, simpler but very 
neat. The elephant alone had to be served separately, 
since they could not find just the right dish for him. 
He, however, not in the least particular about such 
things, was quite content with an old barrel for a 
soup plate. What an appetite every one had! Sud- 
denly the monkey-stewards rang the dinner bell, an- 
nouncing that their Majesties’ luncheon was served. 

The afternoon 
passed quickly, 
and in the evening 
every one got his 
bed ready. To be 
sure it was just a 
little crowded in 
the dormi- 
tory. But 




what of that ; the youngsters thought it 
would be all the more fun. The giraffe 
alone, with silly affectation, complained 
that the cots were too short and too narrow, and 
that there was absolutely no place to put his head. 
Some people are so particular! 

Practical jokes were frowned down, and a very 
watchful eye was kept on the crocodile, who, how- 
ever, was so tired that he slipped in between the 
sheets as innocent as could be, and was soon snoring 

loudly. The occu- 
pants of some of 
the expensive 
cabins near by 
rang for the stew- 
ard and insisted 
that he should at 
once be waked up. 
At the other end 
of the dormitory 


— 14 - 



4 



The royal table was most magnificently set 





the hyena, the jaguar, the wolf, the fox and the hippo- 
potamus, egged on by the envious pig, seized upon 
the camel and tossed him in a blanket. 

* The pig enjoyed the fun immensely. “Oh, isn’t he a 
sight,” he squealed. “I shall die laughing. What splen- 
did exercise this is for my stomach trouble.” 

Suddenly, in the midst of this hazing, they were sur- 
prised by the Chief of Police accompanied by another 
elephant carrying a dark lantern. 

“Run,” squeaked the fox, and, dropping the blanket, 
escaped along the wall, followed in haste by the wolf, 
the hyena, the jaguar and the pig. There only remained 
after this excitement the poor camel covered with bumps, 
and the hippopotamus, with the blanket still between his 
teeth. 

“And what are you up to here, you boobies?” de- 
manded the Chief of Police. “Turn the lantern on him. 
Out with you, all of you.” 





Cock-a-doodle doo! Get up! 

Goes the merry rising song. 
Rub your eyes, and get your cup, 
No one lies abed so long. 


Growls from every wakened bear 
Stir the lions in their beds ; 
Hubbub, with the cock’s fanfare, 
Frightens all the sleepy-heads. 


The night passed quietly, and without incident, until 
the cheery cocks announced the next 
morning. 


— 15 — 


Next, all bow and say Good day ! 

Well, my dear, I hope you slept, 
No such storm was ever seen — 
Weather-records have been kept. 

Listen to the patter-pat, 

Sounding on the window panes — 
Skies as black as Noah’s hat. 

Water? Well, you see it rains. 

Charming weather, frogs must think. 

Why, I wonder, aren’t they out ? 
One would almost fear to sink, 
Listening to the gutters spout. 



Rheumatism frets the ass. 

“Mr. Lion, please, I beg, 

Shut that window as you pass , 
Such a draught is on my leg.” 

So they chatter and make jokes, 
Whiling all the stupid hours, 
Lively and good-natured folks, 
Laughing at the awful showers. 

Mr. Crocodile, aside, 

Seemed the only one put out ; 
What could prick his tender hide? 
Rose-leaves in his bed no doubt. 



Something, as he took his nap, 
Dreaming of his river Nile, 

Waked him up and made him yap — 
Poor old Mr. Crocodile ! 

Then a gay rhinoceros, 

Quartered in the room next door, 

Nimbly, but with such a fuss, 

Danced and juggled on the floor. 

“Yes, the nicest dreams must end,” 

Sighed the elephant, “Heigh-ho ! 

Tell me what it meant, good friend, 

What I dreamed last night, you know.’ 

“In a garden full of flowers, 

With a lovely pair of wings, 

Round I flew for hours and hours, 

Just like butterflies and things.” 

Thus the animals, each one, 

While the flood around them roared, 
Killed the time with play and fun. 

No one seemed the least bit bored. 



— 16 — 


Indeed, I can assure you no 
one in the Ark allowed him- 
self to be bored. Every day 
saw some new party, some 
new entertainment. I must 
tell you about the 
finest. In the first 
place, to lend dis- 
tinction to the 
occasion, all the 
ladies wore their 
very best gowns, 
and the gentlemen their newest suits. Deft monkey- 
maids and monkey-valets were in the greatest demand. 
Mr. Lion insisted on securing the most celebrated to 
curl his mane. The ass, the bear, the elephant and 
even the pig resorted to every trick to rival him, but 
poor Mr. Piggy, who never did have any luck any- 
way, turned out anything 
but a success. He had him- 
self washed, scrubbed, be- 
ribboned and perfumed ; 
the monkey-barber shaved 
his hide just as close as he 
dared, and, for the mo- 
ment at least, gave him 
the appearance of a real 
“dandy.” But, soon tired 
of showing off, Mr. Pig 
couldn’t resist mussing 
about, and in no time was 




as dirty as ever. As to the bear, it was only with his 
usual grumbling and growling* that he submitted to a 
thorough shampooing, administered, with relentless hand, 



by a monkey-valet. It was splendid to see him! With 
eye humbled and nose resigned, he waited the streams of 
water which his valet poured over him. 



“Good enough for once,” he growled, “but never 
again for me. I am sure I shall catch cold.” 



The elephant, with 
all the finicky care of 
an old beau, laid the 
greatest stress on the 
smallest particulars. 

“Do try,” said he, to 
the artist who was at 
work upon him, “to 
give my ivories that 
beautiful tone the con- 
noisseurs so much ad- 
mire.” 

The ass spent hours 
getting the very finest 
polish on his shoes. 
Those vain birds, like 
the peacock, the golden 
pheasant and the cock, 
couldn’t tear themselves away from their full-length 
mirrors. 

The entertainment began with the reception of all the 
officers. Among them were particularly noticeable the 




famous life-saving St. Bernard dogs, and a celebrated 
choral singing society, composed of Geese and Turkeys. 
A pelican, grave and dignified, carried their banner. 

When every one was seated along the walls, the band 
struck up a lively air. His Leonine Majesty, with a regal 
gesture, gave the signal for the sports to begin. First 
of all a choir of sweet voiced donkeys in the closest kind 




Those vain birds couldn't tear themselves away from the mirrors 







of harmony sang a cantata especially 
composed for the occasion. 

A few of the minor events then came 
off : the sack races by little rabbits and 
the long jump by the frogs, low and lofty 
tumbling, sleight-of-hand tricks by the 
monkeys, and difficult balancing by the 
badger. Indeed, every one was given an 
opportunity to display his talents. 

Then came the more important events. 




The wrestling match between the rhinoceros and the ele- 
phant was short, but lively; after a few tricky feints the 
elephant, by a clever twist of his trunk, seized his adver- 
sary around the waist and held him a moment aloft, all 
ready to slap him down and pin his two shoulders to the 
floor. I tell you it was a mighty ticklish moment for 
Mr. Rhinoceros. He, however, had strength enough to 




19 — 



denly found himself 


twist himself about and fall 
upon his feet. The two ath- 
letes watched each other pant- 
ing. Then the invincible 
Hornynose, letting out a war- 
whoop, threw himself with irre- 
sistible force upon the Bulwark- 
of-the-Jungle, who in his turn 
was lifted off his feet and sud- 
four yards away, flat upon his back, 


with his four feet up in the air. There wasn’t the slight- 
est question of a fall. 

The elephant picked himself up, humiliated but digni- 
fied, and, wiping his forehead, accepted the condolences 
which the happy victor gracefully offered him. 

The obstacle race for antelopes, gazelles, deer and 
chamois was the prettiest sight imaginable. Cries of 
admiration greeted the appearance of these graceful ani- 
mals, who seemed to sail like birds over every difficult 
obstruction. 



— 20 — 



The running high jump for the mountain sheep was a 
record performance, but ended almost in a row. Sud- 


denly an enormous mass that could be nothing but a hip- 
popotamus, rolled up on its four short legs and attempted 
to take the jump, too. 

“Go away,” bleated the sheep. “It isn’t your turn, nor 
anywhere near it.” 

They had the greatest difficulty in persuading him of 
his error and getting him to join the huge entry for the 
flat race for rhinoceroses, elephants, camels, hippopota- 
muses and buffaloes, who dashed off at top speed. After 
this display of prowess, a ballet was introduced. The 
ostriches, much admired, led off. The crowd could 
hardly keep their seats, so fascinating became the invit- 
ing music played by the elephants on piano and hand 



— 21 — 







organ. Huge pachy- 
derms embracing 
the slenderest of 
creatures, whirled 
about in the mad 
mazes of the valse. 
But poor Mrs. Gi- 
raffe ! The clumsy 



— 22 — 


elephant, would you believe it, slipped on the polished 
floor and down they went, he right across her slender 
neck. The gaiety was interrupted a little by this acci- 



— 23 



It was not hard to guess where Mr. Piggy 
was all this time. With shameless unconcern 
he had gobbled up plate after plate of delicious 
meats and rare fruits. 

In the adjoining rooms the smaller animals 
were amusing themselves. In the distance a 
drum, which the sedate badger continually 
beat, let all the company know that they were 
to come together for supper. 

The day after a party is always rather sad, and between 
you and me it was so in the Ark. The crocodile had what 
you might call a hide-ache, and the ship’s doctor was 
called in to look at Master Hippopotamus’s tongue. 

In the morning the purser began giving out the various 
stores: vegetables, breakfast foods and all sorts of fish. 
Of course the meat-eaters for the time being had to aban- 
don their usual diet and content themselves with tinned 
things. 



Some of the animals soon felt the cruel monotony of 
the hours which passed so slowly. The great birds of 
prey began to complain of the confinement. 

“Stupid, stuffy cabins,” said the condor. 

And the eagle, bored to death, nodded and yawned, 



stretching his talons and shaking his immense wings. 

To many of the animals, however, existence offered 
unusual attractions ; they took interest in even the small- 
est details, — a squabble among the monkeys, a new mis- 
hap to the hippopotamus, or some complaint of the 
crocodile ; a delicate personage, always having something 
the matter with him. 

“Oh my head; oh my back; oh my tummy,” moaned 
he, with floods and floods of tears. At last it was 



— 24 — 





an awful toothache. He 
insisted upon trying the 
most unheard of reme- 
dies ; mustard foot 
baths, poultices and 
great plasters : — use- 
less, all of them. At 
length he was persuad- 
ed that the only thing 
to do was to have the 
tooth out. The ele- 
phant and the rhinoc- 
eros performed this 
operation, always deli- 
cate, with the most 
perfect success. 

As for the monkeys, to tell the truth, they were almost 
impossible to get on with. As long as they kept by them- 
selves, no one thought of stopping them if it amused them 


to pull out each other’s fur by handfuls, or to scratch 
each others’ noses ; but it was too much when they began 

to tease and ill-treat those 
dear, harmless little par- 
rots and owls. The mon- 
keys bethought them- 
selves of playing “nigger 
baby” with these perfectly 
innocent and quiet birds, 
knocking them off their 
perches without so much 
as a word of warning. 

Their favorite victim, 
however, was the hippo- 


— 25 — 


potamus, who, despite his huge shape and extraordinary 
appearance, had never been able to inspire in them the 



least terror. The monkeys so far presumed upon their 
familiarity as to throw into his gaping mouth, as he 
stood rolling his eyes at them, dinner plate after dinner 
plate much as they might play quoits. 

Once a monkey persuaded this same hippopotamus to 
help him go down into the store room, — that lovely 



larder which every animal in the Ark dreamed of every 
night. Poor hippopotamus, his vanity was his undoing. 

“Now listen to me,” said Mr. Monkey. “You will 
understand at once, you are so very clever, Mr. Hippo- 
potamus. Behind that partition, there are all sorts of 
awfully good things to eat. All you have got to do is 
to hold this rope in your teeth while I go down and get 
a delicious melon. Then we shall have a grand feast.” 

The poor hippopotamus, easily fooled, assented. With 
great difficulty he mounted a convenient step ladder. Oh, 
what a sight met his eyes! What things to eat! His 
eyes popped out of his head with hungry joy. Mr. Mon- 
key, as quick as any thief, with one rapid slide was at 
the bottom of the rope so conveniently tied to the front 
tooth of the hippopotamus. Suddenly there was a sharp 
cry, followed by hurrying steps. In three leaps the 
monkey was on the top of the partition. Bounding past 
the hippopotamus he whispered : 

“The purser ! Run for your hide !” 

“Oh, yes, run is all very well,” gasped the frightened 
hippopotamus, so thin and lively. 

He could not budge; terror had paralyzed him. 

“Oh,” said he, “how foolish of me to have neglected 
for so many years those fine gymnastic exercises they 
recommended for my figure.” 

In an attempt to squirm around on his perch, he badly 
twisted one of his front feet, and at the same instant felt 
some one violently pulling him forward by the rope, 
whch still hung from his front tooth. 

It was the elephant, who had rushed to the assistance 
of the purser, his friend the camel. 



“Don’t pull so,” bellowed the 
hippopotamus, “you’ll have my 
tooth out.” 

But at each entreaty they pulled 
the harder, and at last the hippo- 
potamus could maintain his bal- 
ance no longer, and with a terrific 
crash, down he came right into an 
enormous barrel where had been 
collected and stored up all the 
eggs for the entire crew, 

Loud were the shouts of laughter when the animals 
saw the poor hippopotamus come limping out of the 
store room, covered with a layer of what appeared to be 
scrambled eggs. They fairly danced around him, the 
lion holding his side& for laughter. The pitiless bear 
made such fun of him. that the poor hippopotamus sat 


2 


down then and there and had a good cry, while the pig 
and other sympathetic animals gathered about and tried 
to console him. 




The most solemn hour of all the voyage came when 
the rain, which for a hundred days had fallen with per- 
sistent and relentless down-pour, suddenly ceased. No 
longer did they hear on the roof that patter of rain 
drops to which ever year had become accustomed. All 







the animals jumped to their feet, and in an instant the 
upper deck of the Ark was crowded with excited pas- 
sengers. What a relief it was at last to see the horizon ! 
The sky, however, was still dark, and covered with great 
black clouds, and the sea about the Ark stretched away 
as. far as the eye could reach, like some great mirror of 


— 28 — 



polished ebony. The animals could hardly control their 

terror. 

Gradually, as the 
Ark surged forward, 
the water became 
clearer. All had but 
one thought : 

“Here once was 
dry land. Here pos- 
sibly we once lived.” 

About the Ark 
floated grasses, 
branches, even im- 
mense oaks which 
the violence of 
the waves had torn 
away from the 
mountain sides. At 
these sad reminders 
of their native 
forests and favour- 
ite fields the ani- 
mals could with 
difficulty restrain 
their tears. The rhi- 
noceros thought that 
he saw, floating by, 
the lovely palm tree 
in whose delightful 

shade he used to enjoy his little after luncheon nap. 
Despite the air of desolation over sky and sea, the ani- 



mals could not tear themselves away from the sad picture. 
The upper deck of the Ark presented a curious spec- 
tacle: the giraffes promenaded in couples for all the 
world like fashionable ladies on a shopping tour; the 
bears rocked back and forth in imported rocking chairs, 
while the elephants held their wet trunks high in the air 
to find out which way the wind was blowing. 



Existence, however, soon resumed its usual smooth 
and monotonous course, and every one seemed to lose 
his sense of time. Hour succeeded hour. The voyage 
grew aimless and apparently endless. 


One morning the magpie, always the worst gossip in 
the world, spread the news that Noah had sent out a 
crow to see what he could discover. 

“What was going to happen?” 

“Would he come back ?” 

“Might he never come back?” 

Impatiently they waited; day followed day; the crow 
never came back. 



Then the animals saw something which astonished them. 
Noah mounted the bridge accompanied by all his family. 
In one hand he carried a white dove, caressing it and 
speaking to it in a low voice. Then, raising his arms 
as if in benediction he sang these words in a loud 


voice : 


Under the sky so black, without a fear 
Fly forth, in rapid flight, 

Dove, little messenger that I hold here, 

Fly forth beneath the night. 

Dove, little dove of hope, with neck of snow, 
Over the billows deep ; 

Fear not the waves, and let the wild winds blow, 
Angels their watch will keep. 

Go, little messenger of hope, my dove, 

Fly where God hides the shore. 

Angels will guide thee from the skies above, 

Back to this open door. 


The tender bird fluttered a moment, then mounting 
strongly and rapidly, flew away towards the distant 
horizon. 

The animals, much moved, watched the dove grad- 
ually fade into the dark sky like some white wind-tossed 
feather. 

The pig was the first to break the silence. 

“That,” said he, “is one of those flattering missions I 
should not in the least care to undertake.” 

Such a characteristic expression could hardly fail to 
shock and exasperate the company. 

“Do be quiet,” protested the giraffe. “It would cer- 
tainly never occur to any one to select you as an ambas- 
sador.” 



With joyful shouts the animals hurried to disembark 








f 








“Indeed, Miss Pert,” snapped Mr. Pig, offended, 
“what high and mighty airs you do give yourself. You 
might mind your own business now, that is, if you had 
any.” 

At last, every one had something to think about. From 
morning until night the animals discussed the possible 
return of the dove. They strained their eyes in every 
direction trying to pierce the gloom, impenetrable and 
sombre as a wall of iron, but nothing came to break the 


obscurity and monotony. 
Already some lost courage, 
and even the thickest-skinned 
of the animals began to show 
unusual concern. 

On the seventh day, the lynx, 
who had been searching the 
horizon with his sharp eyes, 
suddenly cried : 

“Dove, on the port bow.” 

It was a long time before 
any one could see anything. 
Suddenly the monkey, perched 
upon the giraffe’s long neck, 
began to scream : 

“I see her, I see her, and 
she’s got something in her 
bill.” 

There was a moment of great joy and hope when 
the poor dove, panting and exhausted, holding 



31 — 


in her bill an olive branch, fluttered to the deck. 

From that instant, all began to count the hours and 
minutes with feverish haste. 
Then, one morning very early, 
they felt a tremendous bump. 
Everybody ran up on deck. 

Oh, goodness, gracious me! 
“Land, Land!” The mo- 
ment of separation had come; 
they were going to live apart; perhaps as friends, per- 
haps as enemies, for who knows how long! A strange 
emotion swept over the huge gathering. The croco- 
dile with a pensive air took out his last handkerchief and 
mopped his tear-dimmed eyes. 




However, the splendid picture which nature displayed 
around them served to drive away their sad thoughts. 
During the night the water had fallen considerably. The 
Ark had grounded, and was now perched high and dry 
on the top of a mountain, from which stretched on every 
side bare and muddy slopes, with the sea in the distance. 
With joyful shouts the animals hurried to disembark. 

The ground was still very wet, and so deep were the 
many pools that even the giraffes themselves had to get 
stilts; and a young elephant, if his dear mother had not 
rushed to his assistance, must certainly have been 
drowned. After an hour or so of stretching their legs 
the animals all gathered about the Ark. 

The great dark clouds which for six months had hung 
above them suddenly parted. Blue the sky and glorious 
the sun burst upon them, and a rainbow like a magnificent 
bridge seemed to join the heavens to the dripping earth 
as with a Wonder Road. While Noah offered up a sacri- 
fice and a prayer of thanksgiving, all the animals felt 
upon their knees about him and joined their voices in 
one stupendous Hymn of Praise. 



THE END. 




I 



